Cyprus to request EU help after blast

The government of Cyprus is to request emergency aid from the European Union to deal with the aftermath of an accident at an ammunitions dump that knocked out the island’s main power station.

Between ten and 15 people are reported killed in the blast, a figure that is expected to rise.

An emergency meeting of the government, chaired by President Dimitris Christofias, is under way.

The nature of the aid sought from the EU is not clear, and no request has yet been received, according to EU officials.

José Manuel Barroso, the president of the European Commission, expressed his sorrow at the loss of life, as did Androulla Vassiliou, the European commissioner for education and culture, who is from Cyprus.

The accident, early this morning (11 July), is likely to have been caused by a brush fire, according to the Cypriot authorities. The fire ignited ammunitions stored on the Evangelos Florakis naval base near Mari, a few kilometres to the east of Limassol on Cyprus’s southern coast, leading to q massive explosion that damaged the Vasilikos power plant next door.

The ammunitions had been seized from an Iranian-chartered vessel three years ago.

The Vasilikos power plant, which uses oil and gas, is the country’s largest and accounts for more than half of the island’s total power generation.

The authorities have called on residents not to use aid conditioning. Temperatures are predicted to rise to 33 degrees Celsius today.